Sunsets and Forgiveness
by Kasai no sakka
Summary: Natsu and Lucy spend a few of their final moments alone together before the start of the war. Set after chapter 452 and before chapter 453.


Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh….NaLu. The one couple which is BASICALLY cannon, but ALSO making fan girls and boys ACROSS the globe lose their mind over how it just hasn't happened yet…..BEST COUPLE EVER :p. By the way, if you're the type of reader who prefers having a song to listen to while reading, I would suggest 'Glassy Sky' from Tokyo Ghoul √A (Amalee)' it's LeeandLie's version of the Tokyo Ghoul second opening, it really helped me write this fic for some reason. This is the link: watch?v=E-cvKiFf0n0

Anyway, enjoy. (And don't forget to review) :)

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own Fairy Tail or its respective characters.

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Natsu stood at the edge of the cliff, watching the beautiful sunset, breathing in the fresh air and just…enjoying himself. He needed time to think, before the war started…before the final battle began.

He had exited the guild after the master had given them all the intel he had on the Spriggan 12. Natsu was satisfied with the amount of hope he had given everyone, telling them that his 'secret weapon' will beat Zeref was the right thing to do, because it will, and then they will all be at peace.

He had to defeat Zeref, because, if in some god forsaken world he didn't manage to succeed, that would make him a liar…and Natsu _wasn't_ a liar. He will protect everyone; he'll protect his friends in and outside of Magnolia, in and outside of Fairy Tail…

"And then they'll give me all the food I want as a reward." Natsu's eyes lit up, and he began drooling as he whispered to himself, "Food and fire…mmm…well I _better_ beat Zeref now." He chuckled and scratched his head.

After coming out of his food related thoughts,Natsu stared at his arm…

 _Igneel._

"Dammit dad…" Natsu smirked, "My list of stuff to do after and during this war is already long enough, and now I have to avenge your death too. You sure put a lot of work on me don't ya?" It had taken a while, but Natsu was now able to talk about his dad without falling under depression, because he knows…he knows that he _will_ have his revenge soon.

"What else is on your list of stuff to do?"

Natsu turned to his right to see Lucy Heartfillia standing at his right, her hands behind her back, smiling brightly.

He chuckled, "Where'd you come from?"

"I've actually been here for a while, but you've been so caught up in your obsession with food that you didn't even notice." Lucy sighed, "I'm starting to think you like food more than me."

It was meant to be a whisper, but Natsu heard it loud and clear. "Well that wouldn't entirely be a lie-"

Natsu was cut short by the sudden slap he felt on his head, " _Baka."_

He dodged Lucy's kick and chuckled, "I'm kidding, I'm kidding."

They stood there, side by side, in silence.

"The sunset reminds me of you." Natsu said suddenly.

"Huh?"

Natsu failed to notice the light crimson that crept up on Lucy's cheeks.

"Well the yellow sun reminds me of your blonde hair, that hint of orange reminds of that bastard Loke, and that bit of sky that's blue reminds me of Aquarius; you and you're strongest spirits. While I was training, I made it a point to take a break whenever the sun began to set…that way I'd always remember my purpose." Natsu chuckled again, "I'd remember that I had to get stronger…so that I could protect you."

Lucy smiled, but it looked painful. "Aquarius huh…"

"Everything alright?" Natsu said, a bit worried that he might have done something to upset her

Lucy snapped out of her thoughts, "Huh…yeah." But then it dawned on her exactly what he had just said; he'd been thinking about her every day and was getting stronger, just for her. Lucy's cheeks turned into deep shade of red and she began to stutter. "E-everythings fine…p-perfectly fine."

"You sure? You're sweating and look _really_ red." He stopped and snapped his fingers, "I get it, it's possible to get a sunburn from watching the sunset, right? It makes total sense, though I wonder why I never got burned, I mean I _do_ watch the sunset _every day._ It must be cuz you have baby skin-"

Lucy punched Natsu, "I thought that in the past year you would've gotten a _little_ smarter. See, this why you should've taken me-"

She stopped, and stayed silent after that, refusing to meet him in the eyes, and Natsu was, for some reason, okay with that…he couldn't bear to even think of all the negative emotions she was feeling right now. He and Happy had left her for a year after all, and they had simply left her a note. No proper goodbye…no offering her to join them.

"Lucy…"

"It's okay Natsu." She said, her head staring at the ground, "You had your reasons."

Natsu 'tskd' , "I left you Lucy…I have no excuse for my actions. I should've thought about how you felt…I was just so…so broken by my father's death. I-I wasn't thinking clearly, and I know that that's not a good enough excuse, in fact I don't have _any_ excuses whatsoever but-"

Natsu stopped when he felt someone's arms wrap around his waist, hugging him from behind.

"L…Lucy?"

"It's okay Natsu," She said as her grip on him tightened, "You're here with me now, and when I say that that is all that matters, then you _better_ believe it."

Natsu didn't know what to say, he just stood there as Lucy's grip on him tightened.

Why?

Why was she being so forgiving? After he just upped and left her? A part of him was relieved; happy. But another part of him was indignant; he didn't _deserve_ this treatment, a part of didn't want her to forgive him this easily.

Reluctantly, he tried to escape her grasp on him, and succeeded.

Lucy stared at him, and she seemed…hurt.

Natsu immediately hated himself for that. "I don't deserve your forgiveness. My heart wants you to forgive me, but my mind wants you to hate me, to _despise_ me, for hurting you.

Lucy stayed quiet for a few moments, and then walked, ever so slowly, closer to Natsu. She placed a hand on the middle of his chest, and the other on his cheek. She lifted her head to meet his eyes, and Natsu's heart shattered as he witnessed the scene of a single tear escaping her eye. Nut bit bye bit, the pieces attached themselves when he saw her smile.

"The first few days after you left…yes, I was extremely pissed at you guys. But then I got over it…because I knew you would come back to me." She smiled, "And I was right."

Natsu couldn't believe his ears. She had forgiven him…she had forgiven him _so_ long ago, because she knew that he would come back to her. He bit his lip as he imagined what it would be like if he hadn't returned. Did he really deserve a woman as amazing as her in his life?

No. Of course he didn't, but he had been gifted with her.

Natsu smiled slightly, and, surprisingly, it wasn't forced. He hesitantly wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her into a tight hug. It wasn't long until Lucy tightly wrapped her arms around his neck. Natsu buried his head into her hair, and Lucy snuggled into the crook of his neck.

"You're amazing…you know that?" Natsu said,his grip on her tightening.

She chuckled slightly. "What would you say if I said my amazingness was thanks to you?"

"I'd say that that isn't true."

"I'd call you a liar then." She smirked

Natsu sighed, "Well...the womans always right...right?"

"Right."

And there they stood for what seemed like forever, entangled in each other's arms.

Enjoying moments like this was crucial…they were going to war…after all.

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I love this pairing so much, I just wish they had more scenes like that hug at the end of the Dragon/Eclipse arc. Oh well. Anyway, I hope you liked this fanfic, please leave a review as I would love to hear your feedback :) .


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